Jared Rivers appointed senior coach of Collegians
The 2004 Rising Star winner and former Collingwood VFL coach was let go by North Melbourne because of COVID-19 but he’s landed the top job at the Lions in the VAFA.
Victorian Football
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THE VAFA is welcoming another former AFL player to its ranks, this time to coaching.
Premier club Collegians today appointed former Melbourne and Geelong defender Jared Rivers as senior coach to replace Shane Joyce, who stood down after four years.
Rivers joined North Melbourne late last year as a defensive coach but was let go because of COVID-19.
The Lions were chuffed with the quality and quantity of the candidates; it’s believed Rivers was one of a number of former AFL assistant and VFL coaches to apply for the position.
“Not only delighted but thoroughly surprised, and also really impressed by the way they conducted themselves,’’ Collegians president Mark Hibbins said.
“They understood there were other great candidates and they were very respectful of that.
“I believe strongly that any of the candidates would be fine VAFA coaches, and we’re very pleased Jared has accepted the role.’’
Lions recruiting manager Charlie Holst said every applicant would have “walked into an amateurs role, you would think’’.
“From the outset we had a very clear criteria we were looking to meet, from a senior side and a broader club perspective,’’ Holst said.
“Jared certainly ticked all those boxes in terms of his history, his demeanour, his track record in working with young players and developing groups.
“Ultimately it was a combination of his football aspect and his proven track record of building relationships that swung it his way.’’
Rivers, 35, crossed to the Roos from Collingwood, where he coached its VFL team for three years, including to two finals appearances.
He turned to coaching after winding up his AFL career, which brought him 194 games, 150 with Melbourne and 44 with Geelong.
The right-footer received the 2004 Rising Star award, putting him on a roll-call of winners that includes Nathan Buckley, Ben Cousins and Joel Selwood.
Joyce guided Collegians to grand finals in 2017 and ’18 and to another finals appearance last year.
Holst said he expected the club to retain all its senior players for 2021.
Former Saint David Armitage and ex-Hawk David Mirra were key recruits for the 2020 season that never was.
“We’ve got no expectation of losing any of the current list. They’re all very excited to have such a well-credentialed person coming on board,’’ Holst said.
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